The Holiday Clean Up

After the dinner's done, the gifts have been opened and the guests have left for the evening, you turn around with a sigh, stare at what looks like the remnants of a tornado that has torn through your home.

Now comes the chore of post holiday clean up.
Here are some simple tips to help get things back in order and your life back on track.

1. Use re-usable totes to store your Holiday decor so you can safely put away your decorations and easily find them again next year. I would choose clear totes so you can see what it in it. If you are ultra organized, you can print a list of what is in the tote and tape it to the inside wall (so the type is visible from the outside) or tape it to the top of the lid. This way you don't have to take the tote down and open it to see you've chosen the wrong one.
2. After the tree comes down, wrap your lights around a piece of cardboard so they stay untangled and are ready for next year. Tape the replacement bulbs to the cardboard as well. You can also use this method for your garland and things of similar nature. 
3. Use the things eggs come in for storing your ornaments. 
4. Use a shop vac to suck up the needles and anything else that fell off the tree when you removed it. An upright may get clogged with the course, long needles and you will most likely come upon an ornament hook here and there that can cause damage to an upright. Once you get the majority of the needles up with your shop vac, use your upright to make sure you've got all the glitter and small leftovers.

I hope these tips help in getting your household cleaned up and ready for the new year. 

~Erica Jensen, President Clean Right Co.

Need some help cleaning up? Give Clean Right Company a call and schedule a cleaning service today! 

Call (509) 534-3343 or visit www.cleanrightco.com for your Free Estimate!

What's your time worth?

I'd like to talk about an economics term- 'Opportunity Costs'.
What this term relates to is the cost/loss are you suffering from choosing to do one thing over another with your time.

Let's relate this to cleaning...

For instance:
If I choose to clean my own home versus hiring a professional cleaning service to do it, what costs/losses are associated with the time I spend doing this?
I don't mean the cost of the cleaning supplies and equipment but rather, what am I not doing, that I could be doing, if I wasn't cleaning my home?

Now I know hiring a service to clean your home costs money but it costs you more than just dollars, it costs you time. So let's take a look at what we could be doing instead of cleaning and the potential costs/losses associated with it.

1. I could be cleaning someone else's home, which actually makes me money! So if I clean my own home instead of working, I am losing those dollars. Example: Let's say it costs $90 to have my house cleaned and, while having my house cleaned, I clean someone else's house for $120. I just made a $30 profit and have a clean home too!
2. I could be selling/marketing/blogging, which doesn't make me money but does increase my chance to gain clients so again, I am losing the opportunity to make money. Example: Again, it costs me $90 to have my house cleaned but I get 3 calls from the marketing campaign I worked on while my house was getting cleaned and I actually sell 1 of those clients for a $120 recurring cleaning service. 
3. I could be spending time with my family. This doesn't make me money but it makes me, and my family happy!  
4. I could be exercising! Oh shoot, I just found time to exercise!?!? And what's more important, a clean home or a clean bill of health? Example: It costs me $90 to have my house cleaned but I choose to do it myself thus not having the time to exercise. Not exercising leads to muscle loss which leads to a lower back issue which I have to go to the doctor for. The doctor send me to a specialist who needs to do some expensive procedure which costs me way more than that $90 maid service.
5. I could be just plain ole relaxing! In this hectic life style we've created, taking time just to relax is a must for your sanity! 

It all boils down to what is your time worth? For me, it's worth much more than what I would pay to have my house cleaned and I'm sure you feel the same. You would be greatly surprised just how affordable a cleaning service for your home is especially after you factor in the Opportunity Cost associated with your time.

So I ask you, what is your time worth? 

Get your FREE maid service estimate by visiting our website at www.cleanrightco.com or calling (509) 534-3343

Erica Jensen -President

Clean Right Company

(509) 534-3343

Servicing Spokane, WA and surrounding areas.

Making Time

Business, school, gym, eat & sleep. Get up the next day and do it all again!

In today's society our lives are filled to the brim with To Do's. It seems there is never enough time in the day to accomplish everything you need to get done. So you take those tasks and put them on tomorrow's list of To Do's which creates a backlog of tasks that just never seem to get done. So what can we do to make time for those extra tasks and maybe a little time for ourselves?

Here are a few tips that I've found useful in my own, busy life:

1. Get up at least 30 minutes earlier: I find I can get so much done first thing in the morning. The phones haven't started ringing yet, staff isn't at services yet and the world seems to still be asleep. This is the time that I take to return emails, print things, make my list of tasks that need done that day, etc. 
2. Lists: I make a list for everything! I have a weekly To Do list and a daily To Do list. Once I have my list written out I make a plan on how to accomplish each task in the most efficient way. Example: I have to pick up supplies from Grainger, see my staff at a service in the valley and give an estimate on the south hill at 1pm. I start off seeing my staff in the valley, then go to Grainger on my way back into town, then hit the freeway and go to the South Hill. Not only does this save time it also saves gas.
3. Don't over-commit: Try not to commit yourself to things that are not that important or that you are not that interested in. Once you become over booked, you become over worked and the stress and anxiety will only make you feel even more out of control. It is very difficult to say no but, if there's one thing I've learned, you can't say yes to everyone. 
4. Go to bed at least 30 minutes later: I'm not saying deprive yourself of sleep because you must get your sleep in order to function properly but, if you can, try to stay up a little later so you can stretch your day a bit more. For example: Let's say you are use to going to bed at 9pm (like me!). Try to stay up till 9:30. This, coupled with the 30 minutes you gained from getting up earlier, gives you an entire extra hour. That's enough time to have dinner with a friend or family, go to the gym, or just take the time for yourself!
5. Don't try to do it all on your own!: Know when to ask for help. If you have a spouse or kids, ask them to chip in on the household chores like cleaning or cooking. If that doesn't work for you than hire a professional to take on some of your work load. You can hire someone to do just about anything for you. Lawn care service, personal assistant service, and of course house cleaning service! 

I hope my ideas are helpful in making more time for you in your busy life. Don't forget to take a breath and count your blessings. Today will soon be over and tomorrow is another day filled with promise... and things to do!

Erica Jensen President, Clean Right Company

www.cleanrightco.com

(509) 534-3343 phone